I personally think CD vinyl and minidisc always have been superior sounding and best way to listen to music, great video. One track I use to test my system is massive attack featuring Tracy thorn protection
Morning Chris , thanks for your song suggestion and yes you are spot on about Vinyl cds and minidiscs have superior sound compare to Streaming. Thanks for watching Happy Listening
a bit late to this party...but still loving my Arcam 7SE which I bought 20 years ago. It has been driving a pair of Mission 773s via a Cyrus one amp, the original - first using the external PSX power supply, then when that died just the main amp. that died last week, and I have replaced it with the Roksan K3 - after auditioning it blew the competition out of the water, and the sheer excitement and musicality sold it to me. very happy.
Great Video Thanks! I have an Arcam Alpha 7 that I bought when it came out. I paid $600 for it which was a little crazy for me. The Alpha cd 7, 8 etc can be upgraded to the Alpha 9 ringdac. I've never seen one for sale but I'm sure you could find one if you looked long enough.
Designed by me btw. Obviously I went on to do the Sonneteer stuff. 7Se was a complete DAC change and redesign. I worked closely with the guys from TI (who had bought BurrBrown by then) on it. We did the Byron and Bronte CD players at Sonneteer not long after.
Brilliant Design too Haider , please tell us more technical details and history behind this one as what u saw was my 2 months dig out on internet as I m well impressed,would love to share with my viewers . Thanks for watching
OK I am sitting at my PC. This is easier. I'm trying to remember now, was it the PCM1716 we used? We had a lot of very close support from TI (Texas instruments) to the point their main guy for DACs in the uK became like a colleague as much as anyone else on the design team. We did have a few other chips as possibles, but theirs ticked all the boxes in this case. I think there was an AKM chip as a possible too. Pretty sure we had a prototype with that one made. It was a close call. The support we had probably clinched it. it's probably telling that we(at Sonneteer) did use an AKM chip for the the Byron, a much more expensive player than the 7SE of course, but I have turned to TI for a lot of designs since. An important thing to say is that the SONY mechanism we used was robust and really made designing around it really easy. I used the same Mech in the 1st gen Sonneteer CD players too. The CD player sitting in my office right now uses one and all SONY and Philips mechanisms (as found in most separates CD players) since have not lived up to the standard of that model. My ex boss, Mike Martindell did come to tell me after I had left that the 7SE was the fastest selling item we had had at ARCAM. Was really chuffed and appreciative that he sought me out to tell me. To be honest ARCAM was one of the nicests companies to work for and the people were great. A happy environment. That helped make good stuff.
I bought the Alpha 7 earlier this year off eBay. The sound quality and instrument separation is amazing through my NAD C316BEE amplifier and Dali Spector 2 speakers. Extremely satisfying.
Yes it is , and Arcam Alpha 7SE is a surprisingly a very good player unfortunately it’s discontinued but I m very excited to connect Arcam CDS50 with my System , thanks for watching 😀
They used to be called A&R but when the American speaker maker of the same name started to sell in the UK they had to change their name to A&R Cambridge and later Arcam . I have the Rotel 865bx from 1992 (another hall of fame CD player ) its stunning with amazing Mid-range .
Hey David Jay , thanks 🙏 a lot for very useful information, would love to try Rotel 865bx if it’s available online somewhere.. cheers 🥂 Happy New Year .
Just got one of these because of the great reviews to me it sounds better than an Audiolab 6000 cdt transport going through a rega dac . better than a marantz 6007 cd the Arcam is a classic
Hi Neville , both Arcam A85 and Arcam CD73 are billiant separates and B&W 706 S2 -amazing pair of speakers... very nice set up .. please let us know how’s your system sounds and also what did you listen to in terms of music 🎵.. Thanks for Watching 😊 Merry Christmas 🎄
I agree with you 100% about Arcam CD players, I have an Arcam FMJ CD23t that I bought in 2002, and the amount of detail it can extract is phenomenal. Top-notch review of the Arcam Alpha 7se. Have you ever thought about doing a review of your Grado headphones? P.S. I'm definitely going to buy The Dave Brubeck Quartet Time Out on both CD and vinyl.
Hey Steven , I have heard briefly and surly it exceeded my 7SE in all frequency responses and also it has better Analog output. Oh yes Definitely going to review my Grado and other headphone reviews lining up What Amp abs speakers are you using ? Happy Listening
@@aconfusedaudiophile6891 I use a Technics SU-V500 M2 integrated amp, and a Grado RA1 headphone amp, along with Grado RS1 headphones and Focal Utopia headphones. The speakers in use are Acoustic Solutions Powerforce 1000 stereo pair.
Hi Kuldeep , I have reviewed Focal Utopia earlier , which was out of the box before burn in will make one after burn in , in time .. thanks for watching 👍
Maybe I missed something.but if you are using the optical out into your dac then you are only using the 7se as a transport.To hear what this sounds like you need to use the RCA outputs into an analogue amp.As I said maybe I missed something.I have an Arcam Alpha 7 amp which I use to amp my Sennheiser HD650 headphones and Ruark speakers.Arcam makes quality stuff.Keep well.
Hi Paul , gosh man thanks for your comment yes I realised that too just after your comment .. I have tried with RCA out with my 2 stereo Amps Arcam and Marantz as well as Focal Arche. Thanks again for pointing out Happy Listening.
I still have my old-ish ARCAM DELTA 170 CD TRANSPORT, that is connected to ARCAM DELTA BLACK BOX 3 On the verge of buying a new turntable soon..back to vinyl time!
@@aconfusedaudiophile6891 MISSION 762, I think all pur chased together way back in the 90s. Go back further in time, I bought a large pair of Wharfdale E30. Sure I got them in the late 70s, early 80s.
Hi Sanjeev , here in the U.K. some shops are allowing only by appointment system soon as lockdown will ease properly I will surly make a full fledge detailed review of Arcam CDS50 as i have shortlisted this player and very excited after what I experienced with Arcam Alpla 7SE .. thanks for watching 😀
CDS50 serie Hda is same of CDS27 FMJ, but the essential component : dac , inside CDS27 is a good Burr brown pcm serie , I think , and CDS50 is a ESS SABRE , better that the burr brown , the mechanics, components, power supply, cd and sacd player design and streaming of the CDS27 and HDA CDS50 are similar ,.
Hi Colin ,Arcam 73 is superb sound quality, I use sometimes this one as just Trasport when I listen my Cds on headphones 🎧 Thanks for watching and please let us know how much did you pay for Arcam 73 as they are still holding their price. Happy Listening
@@aconfusedaudiophile6891 I sold it and got into streaming and noticed I wasn’t playing music as much. Just bought a Rotel cd11 , the Ken ishiwata tuned version. Listening to music again 😁
@@aconfusedaudiophile6891 CDS 50 came last week and I’m very satisfied. I didn’t use the sacd capability, only CD and also extensively used Qobuz via MusicLife app. Great product, great build and sound quality and it is very responsive with sample rate info on screen for every track. Also the remote is great with illumination and is completely functional with my Naim Nait XS2 amp. I must add that my Narcom 4 remote is also compatible with CDS50 which was a surprise to me. I only had to compare this player with my Yamaha WXAD 10 streamer, and sound quality wise Arcam is much better which was expected.
CDs played on a good dedicated CD player will always sound superior to streaming (even on streaming systems costing 10 X more). Anyone with ears knows this.
Hi Eliseo , Alpha 8 is not a hugely refined but more than enough to notice the upgrade in sound the main thing it has touch wider soundstage and it can play HDCD . I hope I answered your question can’t comment more as I only listen Alpha 8 for 2 weeks and surly it’s not enough time to evaluate any product. HDCD is leap forward than 7 or 7se Thanks for watching Happy Listening
I saw that too it can also play HDCD , well it’s an upgraded version. Now u made me curious to listen to 8SE .. thanks for watching and happy listening
![Arcam Alpha 9 CD [Reduktor Szumu] Odc.90](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YrDDmIg1E3w/mqdefault.jpg)
I personally think CD vinyl and minidisc always have been superior sounding and best way to listen to music, great video. One track I use to test my system is massive attack featuring Tracy thorn protection
Morning Chris , thanks for your song suggestion and yes you are spot on about Vinyl cds and minidiscs have superior sound compare to Streaming.
Thanks for watching
Happy Listening
Great presentation. So true about the 'purchase experience' you get with CDs and records that you just do not with streaming.
Thanks Christopher , true isn’t it ?
Oh man ! You took me to the down memory lane , love Arcam Alpha 7SE had this since 2004
Thanks Hussein 😊
Thank you So much Romain for sharing very useful information.
a bit late to this party...but still loving my Arcam 7SE which I bought 20 years ago. It has been driving a pair of Mission 773s via a Cyrus one amp, the original - first using the external PSX power supply, then when that died just the main amp. that died last week, and I have replaced it with the Roksan K3 - after auditioning it blew the competition out of the water, and the sheer excitement and musicality sold it to me. very happy.
Hi Glenn , thank you for Sharing your experience.
Brilliant review mate , after longtime I play my CDs and can back you up how great cd sounds compare to streaming
Thanks Abdi
Glad you like my video
Great Video Thanks! I have an Arcam Alpha 7 that I bought when it came out. I paid $600 for it which was a little crazy for me. The Alpha cd 7, 8 etc can be upgraded to the Alpha 9 ringdac. I've never seen one for sale but I'm sure you could find one if you looked long enough.
Thanks for your input my friend
Designed by me btw. Obviously I went on to do the Sonneteer stuff. 7Se was a complete DAC change and redesign. I worked closely with the guys from TI (who had bought BurrBrown by then) on it. We did the Byron and Bronte CD players at Sonneteer not long after.
Brilliant Design too Haider , please tell us more technical details and history behind this one as what u saw was my 2 months dig out on internet as I m well impressed,would love to share with my viewers . Thanks for watching
@@aconfusedaudiophile6891 hi it was 20 plus years ago but give me a few days I will try to remember and put something together for you.
OK I am sitting at my PC. This is easier. I'm trying to remember now, was it the PCM1716 we used? We had a lot of very close support from TI (Texas instruments) to the point their main guy for DACs in the uK became like a colleague as much as anyone else on the design team. We did have a few other chips as possibles, but theirs ticked all the boxes in this case. I think there was an AKM chip as a possible too. Pretty sure we had a prototype with that one made. It was a close call. The support we had probably clinched it. it's probably telling that we(at Sonneteer) did use an AKM chip for the the Byron, a much more expensive player than the 7SE of course, but I have turned to TI for a lot of designs since. An important thing to say is that the SONY mechanism we used was robust and really made designing around it really easy. I used the same Mech in the 1st gen Sonneteer CD players too. The CD player sitting in my office right now uses one and all SONY and Philips mechanisms (as found in most separates CD players) since have not lived up to the standard of that model. My ex boss, Mike Martindell did come to tell me after I had left that the 7SE was the fastest selling item we had had at ARCAM. Was really chuffed and appreciative that he sought me out to tell me. To be honest ARCAM was one of the nicests companies to work for and the people were great. A happy environment. That helped make good stuff.
Thank you 🙏 for detailed information.
@@haiderbahrani Did u work on ARCAM 93📀 and if so what can u "reveal" please?
👍 it's a really helpful information for people who likes original sounds. Great 👌☺️
Glad you enjoy this video.
I bought the Alpha 7 earlier this year off eBay. The sound quality and instrument separation is amazing through my NAD C316BEE amplifier and Dali Spector 2 speakers. Extremely satisfying.
Totally agreed mate. My dad has Arcam alpha 7 and I think it sounds better than a few big names.
Yes it is , and Arcam Alpha 7SE is a surprisingly a very good player unfortunately it’s discontinued but I m very excited to connect Arcam CDS50 with my System , thanks for watching 😀
Still loving my Alpha 7 after over 25 years.
I have the 7se. Upgraded op amps tp muses. Stellar performance.
Thanks for sharing your experience.
They used to be called A&R but when the American speaker maker of the same name started
to sell in the UK they had to change their name to A&R Cambridge and later Arcam .
I have the Rotel 865bx from 1992 (another hall of fame CD player ) its stunning with amazing
Mid-range .
Hey David Jay , thanks 🙏 a lot for very useful information, would love to try Rotel 865bx if it’s available online somewhere.. cheers 🥂
Happy New Year .
Just got one of these because of the great reviews to me it sounds better than an Audiolab 6000 cdt transport going through a rega dac . better than a marantz 6007 cd the Arcam is a classic
new set up on a budget , vintage A85, CD73 and B&W 706s2, looking forward to hearing it together
Hi Neville , both Arcam A85 and Arcam CD73 are billiant separates and B&W 706 S2 -amazing pair of speakers... very nice set up .. please let us know how’s your system sounds and also what did you listen to in terms of music 🎵.. Thanks for Watching 😊 Merry Christmas 🎄
I agree with you 100% about Arcam CD players, I have an Arcam FMJ CD23t that I bought in 2002, and the amount of detail it can extract is phenomenal. Top-notch review of the Arcam Alpha 7se. Have you ever thought about doing a review of your Grado headphones?
P.S. I'm definitely going to buy The Dave Brubeck Quartet Time Out on both CD and vinyl.
Hey Steven , I have heard briefly and surly it exceeded my 7SE in all frequency responses and also it has better Analog output.
Oh yes Definitely going to review my Grado and other headphone reviews lining up
What Amp abs speakers are you using ?
Happy Listening
@@aconfusedaudiophile6891 I use a Technics SU-V500 M2 integrated amp, and a Grado RA1 headphone amp, along with Grado RS1 headphones and Focal Utopia headphones. The speakers in use are Acoustic Solutions Powerforce 1000 stereo pair.
Hi Steven , that’s a brilliant set up.
Thanks for your reply and support
Please try with RCA output of Arcam cdp
Sure Amit , thanks for your suggestion.
I have one, great still! Chassis isn’t great but sound quality is outstanding.
Hi Benjamin Thanks for sharing information and watching 😀
Good reviews mate and give some reviews about those fical headfones
Hi Kuldeep , I have reviewed Focal Utopia earlier , which was out of the box before burn in will make one after burn in , in time .. thanks for watching 👍
Maybe I missed something.but if you are using the optical out into your dac then you are only using the 7se as a transport.To hear what this sounds like you need to use the RCA outputs into an analogue amp.As I said maybe I missed something.I have an Arcam Alpha 7 amp which I use to amp my Sennheiser HD650 headphones and Ruark speakers.Arcam makes quality stuff.Keep well.
Hi Paul , gosh man thanks for your comment yes I realised that too just after your comment .. I have tried with RCA out with my 2 stereo Amps Arcam and Marantz as well as Focal Arche.
Thanks again for pointing out
Happy Listening.
Hey Paul
What Ruark speakers do You have ?
@@aconfusedaudiophile6891 Hi..Templar ii...also vintage from the 90"s.
Thanks buddy
I'm about to punch mine to pieces because the tray keeps coming out and not staying closed.
Please, anybody got some help?
I still have my old-ish ARCAM DELTA 170 CD TRANSPORT, that is connected to ARCAM DELTA BLACK BOX 3
On the verge of buying a new turntable soon..back to vinyl time!
Hi Raymond , what speakers you have ?
@@aconfusedaudiophile6891 MISSION 762, I think all pur
chased together way back in the 90s.
Go back further in time, I bought a large pair of Wharfdale E30.
Sure I got them in the late 70s, early 80s.
Very interesting video, I remember this player , how’s the new SACD player from Arcam , and how’s Audiolab 6000 cd transport ?
Hi Sanjeev , here in the U.K. some shops are allowing only by appointment system soon as lockdown will ease properly I will surly make a full fledge detailed review of Arcam CDS50 as i have shortlisted this player and very excited after what I experienced with Arcam Alpla 7SE .. thanks for watching 😀
CDS50 serie Hda is same of CDS27 FMJ, but the essential component : dac , inside CDS27 is a good Burr brown pcm serie , I think , and CDS50 is a ESS SABRE , better that the burr brown , the mechanics, components, power supply, cd and sacd player design and streaming of the CDS27 and HDA CDS50 are similar ,.
@@aconfusedaudiophile6891 ..alpha 7 se use a burr brown , PCM serie even ,.CD17 , CD37 , use WOLSON 8741 , REGA appolo use WOLSON 8742 ,..
Remember my flat mate buying this when it came out. Few years later I bought Arcam 73. Happy days.
Hi Colin ,Arcam 73 is superb sound quality, I use sometimes this one as just Trasport when I listen my Cds on headphones 🎧
Thanks for watching and please let us know how much did you pay for Arcam 73 as they are still holding their price.
Happy Listening
@@aconfusedaudiophile6891
I sold it and got into streaming and noticed I wasn’t playing music as much. Just bought a Rotel cd11 , the Ken ishiwata tuned version. Listening to music again 😁
@@colinbenfield326 Thanks
I've a Arcam 7se cd player.. lately it's skipping and hopping like mad when playing CD;s. any ideas ?
Clean it with cd cleaner disk from Amazon
I have ordered cds50, coming from UK in a month or less. Very excited 🤘
Please share your thoughts when you receive Arcam CDS50 and I wish you good luck Vojislav .. Happy Listening😊
A Confused Audiophile ??? Of course👍
@@aconfusedaudiophile6891 CDS 50 came last week and I’m very satisfied. I didn’t use the sacd capability, only CD and also extensively used Qobuz via MusicLife app. Great product, great build and sound quality and it is very responsive with sample rate info on screen for every track. Also the remote is great with illumination and is completely functional with my Naim Nait XS2 amp. I must add that my Narcom 4 remote is also compatible with CDS50 which was a surprise to me. I only had to compare this player with my Yamaha WXAD 10 streamer, and sound quality wise Arcam is much better which was expected.
Hi Vojislav , glad you enjoyed your Arcam CDS50 , thanks for letting us know your experience.
CDs played on a good dedicated CD player will always sound superior to streaming (even on streaming systems costing 10 X more). Anyone with ears knows this.
Thanks David for watching , being honest I was binging on Streaming now I have to admit I listen my music.
I have a question. Does the 7se need to be sent through mail/post or couriered with transit bolts? Are they vital? Can anyone tell me?
And what is your opinion about alfa 8?
Hi Eliseo , Alpha 8 is not a hugely refined but more than enough to notice the upgrade in sound the main thing it has touch wider soundstage and it can play HDCD . I hope I answered your question can’t comment more as I only listen Alpha 8 for 2 weeks and surly it’s not enough time to evaluate any product. HDCD is leap forward than 7 or 7se
Thanks for watching
Happy Listening
No balanced out?
I wish that too. But being honest it has one of the best Analog out.
Who has Arcam CD 93 please? 📀
I thought the 7se was too dry and grainy. I brought the 8se instead
I saw that too it can also play HDCD , well it’s an upgraded version. Now u made me curious to listen to 8SE .. thanks for watching and happy listening
@@aconfusedaudiophile6891 yes the HDCD performance is great if you can find a disc
Hey Martin, I think majority of Neil Young collection are HDCD.
@@aconfusedaudiophile6891 and Bryan Ferry